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Without question, Golden State Warriors wing Jordan Poole exhibited one of the biggest year-over-year improvements of any player in recent memory during the 2021-22 campaign. After logging a 12-2-2 line last year and spending time in the G League bubble, the baller suddenly bears the look of an All-Star.
Appearing in 76 games for the Dubs this season, Poole averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per contest while posting shooting splits of 45-36-93. Meanwhile, his net rating jumped from 0.7 in 2020-21 to a healthy 6.6 in ’21-22.
Finally, he played a key role in Golden State winning 53 games and finishing with the third-best record in the Western Conference (not to mention the whole of the NBA).
In spite of all that, voters for the league’s year-end awards saw fit to leave Poole on the outside looking with regard to the Most Improved Player trophy. And one of his star teammates is not happy.
Poole Not a MIP Finalist
On Sunday, the NBA announced the three finalists for MIP honors and Poole was not among the names listed. Instead, Ja Morant of the Grizzlies, Dejounte Murray of the Spurs and the Cavs’ Darius Garland finished in the top three.
For his part, Warriors star Draymond Green was incensed over Poole’s snubbing, suggesting that voters don’t understand the criteria for the award.
“If Jordan Poole isn’t the Most Improved Player, then the NBA really needs to relook at their process. Because you cannot find a guy on that list that has made a bigger improvement,” he said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I don’t care. If he’s not the Most Improved Player, then let’s rename the award to … who we like the most, who we see as more electrifying, to who we see may have a bigger impact on our team.”
Added Green: “That’s not the name of the award, that’s actually the Most Valuable Player, and so if we’re talking about the Most Improved Player, and if the award was voted on based upon its name, then it’s a no-brainer who’s the Most Improved Player.”
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Green Hypes Poole’s Journey
As Green sees it, no player made the leap that Poole did in terms of making the transformation from bit player to bona fide star. And the latter’s G League experience, which Green once referred to as a “fork in the road,” serves as a prime example of the evolution that has occurred.
“He actually goes [down to G League] and figures it out,” Green said on Sunday, recalling his earlier comments. “…I thought that was a beautiful thing. I thought that was a huge, huge sign of his maturity.”
In any case, with Poole having been overlooked, Green says he’s starting a petition to change what the award is called because he feels that Poole’s omission dishonors its current concept.
“If we’re going off the name of the award, it’s Jordan Poole,” Green said. “If it’s not Jordan Poole, then I’m starting a petition on Change.org to rename these awards, because this is just not accurate.”
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